Archive For September 2009
The Eastern and Oriental Cookbook: nice name for a cookbook. It has an almost old-fashioned ring to it. Hints of The Orient Express, perhaps the East India Company, P & O steamers and Edwardian ladies with parasols. All romantic notions but, in truth, this sumptuous volume is a companion of the celebrated E & O….
It’s a change to write a travel book review about a place to which I have been. California held much promise and did not disappoint. It is a state that deserves to be explored at a slow pace. You’ll get the best from this trip if you take time to venture off the beaten path….
This is the second book in the new Apple Press series of Cooks Guides, which it has been my pleasure to review, the first being The Cook’s Guide to Fish. The Cook’s Guide to Meat has the same hand-book-size and leatherette finish as the fish guide and also enjoys the benefits of the same illustrator,…
It’s days like this when I think that being a cookbook reviewer is the most marvellous occupation. I have been presented with 350 or so pages of unadulterated and odorous delight. Every page I view increases taste-bud activity to the point where a triangle of something in silver foil will just not cut the mustard….
Originally published in 1989 it was out of print for ten years or so. This new edition reminds us why Sicilian Food has been considered a classic. Mary Taylor Simeti arrived in Sicily fresh from college in America. She worked as a volunteer at a centre for community development for $75 a month. Her interest…
Paul Hartley has penned several brand cookbooks including the Lyles Golden Syrup Cookbook and the HP Sauce Cookbook (both reviewed on this site), Marmite Cookbook and Heinz Tomato Ketchup Cookbook. It’s probably safe to say that Paul has an eye for iconic and popular products. Guinness – An Official Celebration of 250 Remarkable Years offers…
You must by now, assuming you are a regular reader, know how much I enjoy this 500 series from Apple Press. These chunky little volumes are packed with recipes and photographs. They offer a wealth of information and support for the novice and a raft of ideas for the more experienced home cook. Rebecca Baugniet,…
I see many cookbooks every week and hundreds every year. Most are very nice, some are inspiring, there are a few that would be better left as trees, and then there are the gems. Apple Press have done it again! This publisher never seems to put a foot wrong. They present books that are marvellously…
Paul is the chef at the Lanesborough Hotel in London. It’s considered a “Destination” hotel and has a restaurant to match that status. This man is a familiar face on British food TV and is also an accomplished cookbook author. All of Paul Gayler’s books (I have reviewed several to date) have been innovative but…
It’s the third largest country in Europe and has strong historic links to North Africa. It faces both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, has mountain ranges, deserts and fertile plains. Madrid, its capital, is the highest in Europe and Spanish style is respected world-wide. It’s a land of diversity and richness. The landscape of Spain…
You might say you like “Mexican” food. You might have had “Mexican” food on trips to the US and Taco Bell might be your favourite fast food but, dear reader, your experience is probably a faint shadow of the real extravaganza awaiting you at Mestizo. Mestizo Restaurant and Tequila Bar has a convenient location just…
If you are a regular visitor to Mostly Food and Cocktails (and why wouldn’t you be?) then you will be familiar with the series of Farmer’s Wife cookbooks. They are compiled from original recipes found in the magazine of the same name, published between 1893 and 1939 in Minnesota. Cookie baking is an ideal introduction…
This is another from the presses of Dorling Kindersley that offers great value for money. Here we are again with a cookbook for those who have neither the room nor inclination to own a whole raft of cookbooks. If you have next to no time to cook then chances are you will have even less…
Hasn’t food in the UK come a long way? We now know what an aubergine is. Most of us enjoy trying new dishes, and Indian food is now our most popular cuisine. Yes, paneer is now to be found in almost every supermarket cheese cabinet. Our culinary horizons have expanded from the traditional meat and…